Poll

Agriculture

I received an interesting Facebook message from my niece; she said that she thought New Year’s resolutions were a very bad idea because January is such a rough time to commit to anything.
It is the end of the holiday season and may be depressing for many and the weather is usually cold and grey. So she said why not make a Spring Equinox Resolution to go into effect on March 20! Spring seems like a better time to make some positive life changes. So why not plan to attend one of these interesting sessions and resolve to get involved.

As I write this column on Monday afternoon, I’m looking at a white landscape. But the snow is rapidly disappearing, and it is likely that a rapid growth of lawn grass is not far behind. That first spring mowing, usually in late March, begins your most important annual lawn duties.

The first mowing makes the lawn look spring-like and very attractive. So, when the first clumps of grass grow above the mowing height, mow, even if a lot of the yard doesn’t need to be mowed yet.

The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, Kentucky Department of Agriculture and Kentucky Cabinet for Health Services are partnering to support farm friendly legislation. House Bill 391 and Farmers Market Legislation allows Kentucky farmers who grow and harvest produce to process value-added products and sell them from designated farmers markets, certified roadside stands and the processor’s farm. There are two processing categories in HB 391, Homebased Processors and Home-based Microprocessors.

The Farm Service Agency’s Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory or prevented planting occur due to a natural disaster. The upcoming deadlines to file an application for natural disaster protection under the NAP are March 15 and May 1.

Nearly all vegetable crops, small fruits and burley tobacco are in the March 15 deadline. Nursery crops are in the May 1 deadline.

The Henry County 4-H Communication Event took place Feb. 28, at the Henry County Extension office. The evening began with speeches. Jakob Beckley gave a speech entitled “Change” in the 14-year-old category. Jakob spoke on how communities as well as people change sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Jakob received a blue and champion.

While you can’t control severe weather, you do have control over how prepared you are to face the challenges severe weather often presents. Preparing ahead of time for severe weather will relieve the stress of uncertainty in an emergency situation.

Gov. Steve Beshear declared March Severe Weather Awareness Month, and one of the most important things you can do to prepare for severe weather is to own a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather radio with specific area message encoding capabilities.

Energy costs are monthly expenses that fluctuate throughout the year, since much of our heating and cooling usage depends on Mother Nature. However, you can make your home more energy efficient and reduce some of your energy expenses by locating and switching off sources of phantom energy in your home.